Block Seventeen

This book seemed odd at first but regardless, I was quickly sucked into Jane’s world. It will likely get compared to Murakami’s writing and I can see why. It is otherworldly like his writing, but seems more cohesive and sensical. As someone who has been called half breed and mutt for most of my life, that part of Jane’s/Akiko’s life, that part of her confusion with her identity made so much sense. And this book sucked me in, made me want to cry, and Laughed. It was great! I can’t wait to read more by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of Block Seventeen by Kimiko Guthrie. This is my 00:00 (Zero O’Clock) selection for the 2020 Bangtanathon. I had a lot of fun with this strange book and I’m glad that I chose to pick up this ARC because it provided the distraction I needed.

This book is about a woman named Akiko/Aki who has decided to go by Jane. She is the daughter of a Japanese woman and white American man. Her mother’s family was forced into the Japanese internment camps and from what I’ve read, the inspiration for this story is based on Kimiko Guthrie’s real life as a half-Japanese, half-white American. Jane lives with her conspiracy theorist boyfriend of five years, Shiro, in relative bliss before things start to get weird. Their shared home is broken into but no one takes anything. Soon after that, Jane’s mother goes physically missing even though she corresponds with her through the internet. Meanwhile, Shiro is trying to bring down the government as he works in TSA and uncovers some illegal dealings.

The story shifts between 2012, where Jane is writing to her and Shiro’s child and the time of the Japanese internment days where Jane’s grandmother slowly goes mad. There are links between Jane, her unborn child, and her uncle Aki who she is named after who died in infancy all those years ago. Since then, her family has pushed the memory of him to the side with the excuse that babies died a lot back then. Shiro wants to move forward with Jane but there is something mentally keeping her from being a wife and proper mother. Her family’s secrets and mistakes during that time weigh on her more than she lets on and Jane starts to realize that she pushes all unpleasant things away until they don’t exist.

This is a story about family traumas and mental illnesses. There are certain occurrences throughout this book that makes the reader wonder if it’s supernatural or something in Jane’s head. It also doesn’t help that Shiro is a conspiracy theorist who is always on edge and looking to uncover some sort of mystery. I am a fan of Japanese culture and I think that the Japanese Internment Camps is one of the many dark stains in American history that isn’t touched on as often as it should be. I’ve read many books in my lifetime but this is the first one that has gone into the inhumane parts of those camps.

As much as it makes me cringe to say, this book is very Haruki Murakami-esque with a feminine voice. I don’t think that’s a bad thing since I’m a big fan of Haruki Murakami but I think the seemingly mundane and existential lens mixed with the mixing of contemporary and past Japanese-American life feels like reading a Japanese American version of a Murakami novel. There were times when this book reminded me of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle which happens to be one of my favorite Murakami novels.

Once transported into Jane’s world, it’s easy to get invested in the story. The way Jane’s life plays out until her lowest moments felt like a roller coaster but in the best way. My main complaint is that the ending felt kind of rushed and abrupt. A chapter before, Jane was at her lowest point but then by the end of the book she just decided to be like “I’m fine and I’m going by Akiko now” and that was it and everything was seemingly solved for the time being. It felt strange.

All in all I appreciated this book for what it is. I will be interested in reading a finalized hard copy of this.

So, I finished this book, and now I feel a sense of loss.

Well, this book was a difficult read in the beginning. A strange book ___you don't know whether you like it or not; or you don't really understand what going on so you find it a little tiring but you don't want to leave it unfinished {Even though you are a very impatient reader} because it's quirky and there's something about the writing style. That kind of book! But I am so glad I stayed patient while reading this book because it turned out to be a good, mysterious, poignant and heartbreaking read. And very engrossing (well, after 25%).

The book tells two parallel stories ___One set in 2012 and another set in 1937-43 with a backdrop of World War (which infrequently appears for short moments but very important). As I said, there's something about the writing style ___it's, as the blurb says, melodic. Creates vivid imagery. The characters are so distinctly different and significant, even though they appear for a brief moment. The narration so engaging, and after certain point, it turns unreliable and that makes you curious.

Overall, I really liked it. Going to write a full review on my blog.

Mythology, mystery, and memory combine in an ephemeral tale of a woman whose marriage, life, and sanity seems to be unraveling. Guthrie has an excellent way of setting a scene, very effortless and descriptive. The plot is intriguingly hard to grasp- with conspiracies, mysterious intruders, a missing person (maybe?), and ties to a shameful time in America's past- the Japanese Internment camps.
The story is a bit of a trip, but I liked the puzzle piece format of the narrative, and the unique way of telling Jane's story.

*I was given an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. * (Review from Goodreads)

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed this unique little book.

We follow Jane (whose real name is Akiko), a half Japanese/half white American woman on her quest to locate her missing mother, who seems to only exists through the internet. Of course, without giving away any spoilers, the story blossoms into much more than just a disappearance mystery, and through lyrical prose covers the complexities of Japanese history, biracial identity, and generational trauma.

Guthrie does, in my opinion, an incredible job at using the mythical elements of this book to illustrate some of the psychological torment faced by Jane and her mother. I also especially appreciated the heavy influence of Japanese-Buddhist spirituality because I learned a lot and it made me want to look into more books covering this topic.

This book also seemed to be well researched on the histories of Japanese-Americans who experienced the internment camps 1940s. I really appreciated the parallels of how Jane's mother Sumi and Jane's fiance Shiro's family remember Camp, which added to the commentary on assimilation vs. cultural preservation.

The one thing that knocked a star off this book was the discussion of technology and its control on human life. I thought this was quite an interesting topic to write into the story and actually appreciated its inclusion in this book. I thought that this conversation about false liberation (or perhaps real liberation) through technology would explain some of the actions of Jane's mother. However, in the later part of the book, Guthrie barely touched on technology, and so it felt sort of like a weird/ unnecessary addition to the story. I had no clue what was ultimately being said on technology and wished that there was a more clear connection to the main themes of the novel.

I feel that this is a book that would not be for everyone, but it happened to really work for me. If you are into intricate stories about family histories and relationships, I would definitely check this one out.

WOW.

This book to me was weird at the beginning I couldn't tell who the narrator was or whether they were reliable. But, I must say this book covers really tough topics in a way that I approve of! Our main character had to deal with mental illness, generational oppression, racism, self-hatred, and so much more. Though this book could be read in a superficial manner there are so many lessons that people can learn. I think this was excellently written and I can wait to read more from this author.